System pics 2012 #2

David those 1038's look very nice in that room. The wood side cheeks add something.

I do understand that the Focals take a fair while to run in. To be honest, I took the Diablos as part of a deal on a preamp and was really expecting to move them on and dislike them intensely.

So I have been pleasantly surprised so far. Whilst I expected the treble to be superb, I did not expect the whole speaker to be so coherent and for that tweeter to be so well integrated with the (I hesitate to call it) woofer.

What is coming out of the Focals bears no resemblance to the negativity that has built up around the brand on internet forums here in the UK. Not to my ears anyway.

And the addition of the 5150 was indeed a good idea. It just provides a degree of ease that opens up the Diablos further with delightful warmth. The Focal Field Coil sub would be very interesting.

I thought one sub was great. Also, the 5150 is VERY big!
Would take up alot of room to have 2 of them.
Merlin, were you tempted to spring for the Focal Utopia sub. How much is it btw?
(of note the jump in price to the Scala is huge).
david

I agree but I'm a) limited on space and b) not in any need to have an even response in more thn one listening position.

One good sub is perfectly adequate for my needs, certainly preferable to two typical boom boxes.

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there is more than one reason to have multiple subs..it is better all the way around, pretty much. if you enjoy it cool, but it always just strikes me as odd... to me it is nearly as strange as having one main speaker.

David the jumps in price really seem enormous. The Scala is another £10K, effectively for a couple of 11" bass units and a larger cabinet.

The Focal Utopia EM subs would be perfect. Two of them. Acting as stands for the Diablos. Unfortunately they are about £7,500 each and are passive...

The Linn does a good job for very little outlay.

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ah, the glory of audiophile speaker pricing.
the jl fathom f112 are superb, not nearly that much, and are a standard of sorts in many, many upper tier studios. two would not be visually imposing. just one option if you ever want to optimize your LF.

there is more than one reason to have multiple subs..it is better all the way around, pretty much. if you enjoy it cool, but it always just strikes me as odd... to me it is nearly as strange as having one main speaker.

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Multiple subs are theoretically better in all ways other than decor and domestic bliss - two of the main reasons people like me consider standmounts in the first place. Any subwoofer arrangement in such circumstances needs to be discrete surely?

For me, firing subwoofers into a wall or corner is the best solution. I will experiment with the Linn there as I believe the base can be removed for horizontal use.

The JL might well be a very good subwoofer. Personally however, I've yet to really get on with a sealed box with big excursion, heavyweight cone and massive amplifier. All of the ones I have heard have sounded over damped to me, they haven't allowed the bass to breath properly like say a large JBL or TAD can. As such, they have proven difficult to properly match with a properly damped amplifier and satellite that reaches down to the bottom octave.

What would appeal about the Focal is that they could be used to run up to the lower mids and digitally crossed over and time aligned. The impact of doing this is remarkable. 100hz to 400hz is so very important IME and most subs simply cannot be used in that area. I can however build something for a fraction of the cost of the field coil Focal. As you say - pricing!

I've probably missed several dozens of posts explaining why you switched speakers, but what prompted the switch from big JBLs?

Joe

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Ah back in the day I was Joe!

When I built my TAD horns, I got a taste for that level of midrange transparency I guess. But then I spent nearly three years listening to a crap car stereo and an iPod.

One day I'll find a pair of Alnico/beryllium JBL's that are at a price I can afford. Some K29900 or DD6600. I'll have to import as UK prices are silly but one day a pair will be mine! Until then I have to compromise.

For me personally, these top Focals seem a surprisingly good compromise. I honestly thought they would be horrible.

Oak veneer. A laminate of 18mm Birch Ply over 25mm MDF. Heavily braced. Weigh about the same as a small Frigate.

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Superb, where did you get them built? My Monitor Golds' cabs:

...are just pathetic by comparison - just as flimsy as real York cabs, and ugly too! That's a half inch ply baffle and the rest is three-quarter inch block-board! Nothing you'd call bracing either. They actually sound at their best with the back-doors unscrewed and just resting gently in place, anything tighter and resonances start to sound rather obvious.

A bit of Mortite as a support and seal to fix the rear panel resonance maybe?

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I don't think they merit any effort to be honest - I'm just viewing them as a free box to store the Golds in. I still don't know what my long-term plans are speaker-wise, I suspect it's between ESL63/988s and commissioning some very good cabs for the Golds, but it may take me some time to decide which. They are actually sounding very nice at present with their back door held on by one rather loose screw! They seem to like my new Quad amp.